One of the most significant social reforms in post-war Finland was the transition to a primary school system. This reform was started in Northern Finland. Kuusamo was one of these primary school pioneers.
Under the leadership of school administrator Lauri Muhonen, Kuusamo became Finland’s leading primary school developer and Kuusamo was instrumental in the implementation of this significant reform throughout Finland. Northern Finland switched to the primary school system on August 1st, 1972, but the Helsinki region only in 1977.
Primary school structures that influenced the entire country’s primary school system were developed in Kuusamo in the 1980s and 1990s. In Kuusamo, among other things, the lesson framework system, which increased the school’s independent room for manoeuvre, was tried. Through the experiment, the system was introduced throughout the country.
The possibilities of distance education were tried already in the 1990s between different schools. As a rewards, Kuusamo’s primary school received a quality award from the Ministry of Education.